Krasnabardakir
Legendary magical battle axe whose true powers come to life when wielded by a dwarf. The following is the folk tale that is sometimes told of the axe: 'Of Alberich, Krasnabardakir and the Curse of Kraktal Ihm. ' ' ' Now in days of old, there lived an evil witch in the caves of Dagdor. Her name was Iggwilv and her heart was blacker than the blood of the vilest black dragon. Yet the dwarves of Miralandor were not troubled much by her, for she kept mostly to herself and consorted only with demons and her evil followers. Indeed, for many years even the men of the High Lands knew little of her, for her abode was hidden well in the crags of Rumstessear. Yet there came a time when pilgrims were waylaid and many never heard from again, and so it came to pass that one day the High Priest of Ilandris proclaimed that the wicked witch must hunted down and brought to justice. And so men looked for her high and low, yet they found nothing save fleeting shadows and angry giants. So the men of the High Lands grew weary of their search, and one by one they turned away from their quest. Yet Dartont and the men that followed him would not give up, and one day they came to Miralandor and asked for help. Now this was wise, for dwarves knew well enough the tricks that Iggwilv used to conceal the entrance to her caves. And Alberich Tarnir Elkevart came forward, for he had no love of witches. And so it came to pass that Alberich led Dartont and his men into Iggwilv's caves. And they fought many battles there, and killed many a foul beast, yet the witch herself remained hidden. And Dartont turned to Alberich in anger, and demanded that he find the witch. Yet Alberich remained calm and spoke wisely: "Do not attack one who has done nothing but help you. Hear me out before you turn against me. Now you and your men came here not for wealth, but to root out evil. Let us take the riches that we have found and use it to catch our adversary. Now we have found a flawless ruby larger than a dwarf's nose. And like a dwarf's nose, surely that ruby will lead us to her. For surely Iggwilv has fondled it, and the ruby will have her spoor." Now Dartont saw the wisdom of Alberich's words and regretted his hasty words. And so they returned to Miralandor. Alberich summoned the wizard Zirlian from Palmyria. And Alberich forged a wondrous battle axe, and Zirlian placed the ruby within it. Alberich called his axe far-reaching, far-seeing, and he named it Krasnabardakir. And when Zirlian asked if the name had any meaning, Alberich answered that in the tongue of men it would be called Red Harvest. Now Alberich and Dartont returned to the delving of Iggwilv, and Zirlian came with them. And indeed, Krasnabardakir led them to Iggwilv herself, and they did battle with her and her demons. And Alberich did part Iggwilv's head from her shoulders with Krasnabardakir, yet it was no happy victory. For Dartont and most of his followers lay dead at his feet, and demons had torn Zirlian's heart apart. Alberich looked around him and knew that much work remained to be done. Monsters still roamed the halls and Iggwilv had many allies that hoped to take her place. Honoring his friend's memory, Alberich took Zirlian's mangled body to Palmyria to be buried. And here a challenge awaited him, for now he was the bane of Iggwilv, and many plotted his doom. And in Palmyria Alberich had word that a man in Koira knew all the secrets of Iggwilv's caves, and that this man would tell Alberich all the secrets for a price. Now Alberich knew well enough that this man did not mean well, and that it was a not-so-clever trap. Yet even so he chose to meet the challenge and be done with it, rather than to cower. So Alberich traveled to Koira to meet this man, one Kraktal Ihm of the Black Cult. Now Kraktal Ihm had hid in a cave near Koira, hoping to attack Alberich. Yet Alberich would not wait for anyone to attack him, and instead sought out his enemy. Being no stranger to the Arhana Mountains, he nevertheless did not know the caves near Koira. So he asked a young shepherd, no more than a boy, to show him his way. And they searched through many caves, and then they came upon Kraktal Ihm's hiding place. There, Kraktal Ihm saw the boy and mistook his short stature for that of a dwarf, and struck him down with a foul malediction. When to his horror, Alberich saw that the boy was dead, he swung Krasnabardakir and killed Kraktal Ihm, yet the swing of his axe was ill-fated, for no sooner had he died, than Kraktal Ihm's foul ghost rose above his body and uttered a death curse upon Alberich. And the cave came tumbling down, and none may claim their bodies before the curse of Kraktal Ihm is lifted.